


Generosity

by Jade56



Category: Jeeves & Wooster, Jeeves - P. G. Wodehouse
Genre: Alternate Universe - Age Changes, Competent Bertram "Bertie" Wooster, First Time, Love, M/M, Money, Sexual Content, Young Jeeves
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-04
Updated: 2016-11-04
Packaged: 2018-08-29 02:08:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,167
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8471440
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jade56/pseuds/Jade56
Summary: The older and more experienced Mr. Wooster, more properly known as Lord Yaxley, has some life advice to give to his promising young valet.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Edit: Upon rereading this, I realized Bertie should be called "m'lord" rather than "sir" because of his title, so I fixed that.

When I heard the noble voice of my master calling for me, I hurried as quickly as I could while still maintaining a professional and dignified air. I had been working apart from my family for only a short time, and while I had prepared myself diligently to be a manservant who could meet the highest standard, that preparation had only brought me to so high a level, and I continued to fear that I would make a mistake or somehow disappoint the honourable man whom I served.

My master was the eminent Lord Yaxley, the last of the successful Wooster line who had inherited his family’s wealth. I was given to understand that he had spent much of his life in society, though now he had taken primarily to investments, and it was in the office that he used for that purpose where I found him.

“Jeeves,” his lordship said, turning to me from his desk, with eyes that had seen much but still seemed to gaze at me with keen interest, “I’ve heard that you have been giving a helping hand to some of my pals. Is this true?”

“Yes, m'lord,” I answered, with some relief. I was sure that he would be happy to know that I was doing what I could to provide assistance to his acquaintances. Several of them had brought me problems for which I had been fortunate enough to be able to provide satisfactory solutions.

His lordship stood up, and as he did so, I could not help but admire his elegant figure. Though I questioned his taste in loud ties, his suit was finely tailored, and the cut accented his already considerable beauty. The objectionable ties at least served to remind the onlooker of my master’s lively spirit and vigorous, captivating energy.

With haste, I cast these inappropriate thoughts from my mind.

“You’ve got a bright future, Jeeves. Anyone can tell that you’re dashed intelligent.” He smiled, and clasped his hands on the desk. “I’ve been to many places and seen many things, but there’s no doubt you’ll know more than I do in no time.”

Praise from this enchanting man had no small effect on me. “That is kind of you to say, m'lord.”

“Not a bit, Jeeves. You do have potential, and well, what I want to say is, I don’t want to see you limit yourself. That is why I want you to give you a warning.” The smile, which seemed so natural to him, slowly fell from his face. “Don't let yourself be used.”

This was an alarming turn to our conversation. “M'lord?”

“If you keep fixing all the bally problems that people bung at you, they’ll keep coming to you for help, and do you think they’ll give you anything in return?” Shaking his head, his lordship stood up from his desk. He wandered over to a globe on a table in the corner, and idly turned the object. “Generosity will get you nowhere, Jeeves.”

I was reluctant to speak without being directly bidden, for fear of interrupting him, but he seemed to be lost in some kind of new melancholy. “Do you speak from experience, m'lord?”

There was a low chuckle from my employer. “Intelligent, just like I said.” He tapped the globe just slightly, letting it slowly spin. “Money makes the world go ‘round, Jeeves, and a heap of people I trusted have used me to make it spin how they wanted. There’s helping a chum out of a tight spot, you know, which is all well and good, and then there’s club members and neighbours and cousins and aunts doing everything they can to get every pound they can get from a chap. Not to mention all sorts of people trying to arrange marriage for this old blot, just so that they could get a claim on a bit of the ready.”

I had known that Lord Yaxley was a prosperous man, and I had noticed people who presented themselves as his friends and adored relatives making requests on this prosperity, but I had not thought of how a life lived with these impositions had affected my master. Given this experience with humanity, it would not be so strange for him to imagine that all these people wanted from him was money.

Yet, I was familiar enough with his affairs and had organised his mail on enough occasions to conclude that he could not be as embittered or miserly as he was presenting himself.

“I cannot help but notice, m'lord,” I said, with great care not to overstep, “that you are still a generous man. If you pardon my saying so, I have observed the funds that you give to charity, and the payments that you send to some of your family members.”

“Ah. I was hoping you hadn’t noticed,” his lordship admitted, though I did not hear a note of surprise. “At least, I hope you’ll keep what you’ve seen to yourself. I suppose you could say that I’d rather everyone thought I was a greedy blighter.”

“In order to protect yourself, m'lord?”

He was more surprised this time as he eyed me, and I realised too late that I had spoken too boldly. Duly chastened, I turned my head down, and softly mumbled an apology.

My master moved closer to me. “You are so awfully intelligent, Jeeves.” He was now in front of his desk, and leaned back on it, folding his arms as the smile returned to his face, though now it was tempered to a degree. “Do you agree that money makes the world go ‘round?”

“I could not say, m'lord,” I quietly answered.

“Be honest with me, Jeeves. I can almost see your head bulging with that intellect of yours. I’d really like to know what you think.”

Being the young valet I was, I was made uncomfortable at the thought of expressing an opinion against a statement given by my older and more worldly master, but he looked at me expectantly, and with sincere curiosity. “It is my understanding that money is merely a means to an end, m'lord. One might hesitate to view it for its own sake with a very high regard.”

“Well said. Spoken very much like a bright young man.” The light seemed to enter the room through the window in such a way that his eyes sparkled, or perhaps that was simply how I saw him, struck by his grace and solicitude as I was. “I can’t help but wonder if you’ll feel more like I do when you’re older.”

“Perhaps I will, m'lord,” I remarked, hoping to ease the transgression of having stated something in opposition to his views.

He lifted himself from his desk, and moved still closer to me. “You’re much too kind to me, Jeeves.” I watched in fascination as his lordship came close enough for me to smell his cologne, which was soft and sweet, bringing to mind the attractive warm-heartedness of his character.

His hand slowly rose, and in shock, I observed his elegant fingers ghost over the side of my face, just barely above my skin.

“Maybe you are right, Jeeves,” he murmured. “After all, there are some things money can’t get me.”

This close to him, feeling his hand so near my cheek, I was trembling. “M'lord?”

He leaned in next to me, so that I could barely hear his enthralling voice, which had dropped in volume considerably. “It’s all I can think about, sometimes,” he whispered. “I’ve had valets of all kinds, and friends of every stripe. Yet all my life, I never met anyone who made me feel the way you do, my thoughtful, unselfish, handsome Jeeves. I’d like to get on my knees in front of you, my dear man. What price could a chap pay for that honour?”

These words shattered me. I know not if I had enough air left in my lungs with which to speak, though it hardly mattered, for no words came to me. My longing for my beguiling master, which had always been in the back of my mind throughout my service to him, had abruptly moved to the forefront of my being, making itself known as the deep fondness and desperate need that it was.

Now avoiding my gaze, my master suddenly lowered his head, and backed away from me. “Terribly sorry, Jeeves.” He started to move back around his desk. “I can’t imagine what has come over me. I won’t say such things again.”

“M'lord.” All at once, the air had returned, and with it had come a force of will that surprised even me. My urgent need for him had become so unbearable that I forgot my practised sense of propriety.

I followed him around the desk, and reached for him. Finding it difficult to control myself, I grabbed his shoulder with more strength than I intended. He turned to me, astounded, and I quickly dropped my insistent hand.

“M'lord,” I said, more calmly, though it was not a peaceful calm, rather a shallow calm that resulted merely from restraining my passion. “I only wish to say that you need not pay a price for the honour, m'lord.”

He brought his hand close to my face again, this time daring to touch my cheek.

“Really, Jeeves?” Haltingly, he asked, “Is this all right?”

The situation left me in as much disbelief as it seemed to leave him. “Yes, m'lord,” I managed to answer, despite the shyness that had crept over me. “I wish you would kiss me, m'lord. If you are so inclined.”

His eyes were directed at me again, and I thought once more that they were sparkling. “You know that I don’t pay you for this.”

I immediately understood his concern. “This isn’t about money, m'lord.”

His lordship gave me another considering, hesitant, yet hopeful glance that seemed to last an eternity, and then his arms came around me, and he kissed me deeply, with tenderness that I had only rarely dared to imagine.

By the time we parted, I was overcome with longing for him. “L-Lord Yaxley,” I stammered.

“Call me Bertie,” he said softly, guiding me to sit on the chair he used at his desk.

“Bertie.” It felt like a crime to utter the given name of my generous, experienced, gentle master with my unworthy voice.

He touched the fastening of my trousers, which sent such a bolt of lust through my body that I nearly jumped in my seat.

“My lovely Jeeves,” he murmured. “May I have the honour?”

“Please, yes, m'lord,” I answered, somewhat unsteadily, as this all seemed to me to be one of my fantasies unfolding in reality. “B-Bertie.”

“You’re so magnificent, do you know that?” He started undressing me, saying quietly, “I’d pay anything for this.”

Fearing that he continued to doubt my intentions, I instantly felt the need to reassure him. “You need not, m'lord.”

He began to kiss what he revealed, and it was terribly marvellous and distracting. “I’m not sure I could, anyway. How could I put a price on this? I wonder, would it be enough to give you my heart, Jeeves? Well, I’m afraid you have it already.”

These words brought my own heart to a state of trembling, which was not diminished by him becoming acquainted with the taste of the most intimate part of myself.

I tried to keep myself reasonably quiet, but I must have cried out as he gave me such sweet attention. Without thinking, I slipped my hands into his hair, and felt wonderfully close to him, and cherished by him.

When all was done, and I could think again, I was plotting all the ways I could induce him to keep me in his service for the rest of time, though there was a possibility that such schemes would not be as necessary as I thought, as I noticed that, even after giving me truly attentive care, he was holding me devotedly, saying affectionate things to me.

“Clearly, between the two of us,” he was saying, with happiness that brought joy to my own spirit, “it isn’t yours truly who is the generous one.”

I failed to understand why he said this. In fact, I realised instantly that I had not seen to him in such a way as to return the favour he had paid me. I was not sure if he wanted such from me. Perhaps he dared not to ask for such. Unfortunately, in this early stage, I had not the courage to ask, but instead contented myself with the fact that he was apparently content.

My worries were soothed when his arms came up around me, and I saw his expression of delight. Feeling a truly calm peace settle in the world, I closed my eyes, and permitted myself a small smile. I had never considered myself to be particularly generous, but if he thought that of me, then that suited me perfectly well.

End~


End file.
